Air cleaner



E. E. WICKERSHAM AIR CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I. 1918.

1 ,407,968 Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

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Inventor Elmer E'- WiaAeI's/Lam E. E. WICKERSHAM.

AIR CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1918.

1 ,407,968 Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

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E.WICKERSHAM, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

AIR CLEANER.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER E. WICKER- SHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Air Cleaners, of which t-he following is a specification.

This invention relates to a carbureter for the production of gaseous fuel and particulfarly pertains to air cleaning means there- It has been found in practice that the air contained within the gaseous fuel which is delivered to the cylinders of internal combustion engines usually is laden with solid particles of carbonaceous, mineral or gritty material, which is deterimental to the operation ofthe engine, in some cases forming a carbon depositwithin the cylinder, while in other cases a. gritty substance which object-ionally scores the cylinders and pistons. This is especially true of explosive engines which areused in connection with trucks, tractors and various agricultural implements, as the atmosphere during the operation of these vehicles will be particularly charged with foreign material and will therefore increase the deposit of solid matter within the cylinders. It is the principle object of this invention, therefore, to provide means acting in co-operation with the carbureter to thoroughly clean the air utilized in forming the gaseous fuel and to rid it of all solid material. Due to the fact that the air is drawn to the carbureter by the suction of the engine it is essential that this air is not restricted in its flow, as the power of the engine will be thus decreased and a further object of this invention is to provide -an air cleaning device which is devoid of straining-screens or other obstructions which would impede the ample flow ,of air as required by the engine.

The present invention contemplates the use of concentric telescoping casing members having their side wall spaced in relation to each other to form an unrestricted air inlet passageway and. having their lower ends disposed in relation to each other to provide a sealed dead air space into which the solid particles carried by the air may be thrown as the air flows downwardly along the annular passageway and thereafter is diverted upwardly through a central outlet opening through the inner casing, thus d1- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented F b. 28 1922 1 1918. Serial No. 237,775.

verting the solid particles from the path of theair as they are influenced by the action of inertia and gravity.

The invention is illustratedby way of example in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation illustratlng one form of the device here shown as incorporated within a car'bureter operative ly connected to the intake manifold of an nternal combustion engine.

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section as seen through the device disclosed in Figure 1 and particularly illustrates the dust separating elements.

Fig. 3 is a view in horizontal section as seen. onthe line 33 in Fig. 2 and discloses the formation of the dust separator and corelatlon in its vital parts.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section illustrating a modified form of the invention disclosing it as having a plurality of dust removing units arranged without reference to a carbureter construction.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 10 indicates an internal combustion engine fitted with an intake manifold 11 adapted to conduct a gaseous fuel to the engine cylinders from a carburet/er 12. In the present instance the carburetor is combined in its construction with a device for removing dust and other solid particles from the air which later unites with the liquid fuel in thecarbureter forming a clean explosive gas. This structure as. particularly disclosed in Fig. 2 comprises an outer casing 13 which is substantially elliptical in horizontal section and is adapted to enclose a float chamber 14;. The float chamber is preferably cast integral with the case and extends perpendicularly from its bottom wall. This chamber terminates at a point midway the heighth of the casing and is there covered by a suitable closure 15. A float member 16 is contained within the chamber and controls a valve 17 adapted to regulate the flow of liquid fuel from a supply conduit to the chamber. As here disclosed an upwar ly extending stein. 18' projects downwar ly through the cover and its lower endnormally submerged within the liquid fuel. The upper end of this stemrommunicates with a metering nozzle 19 within which the uliquid fuel is gasified as it unites with the air and passes therethrough.

The nozzle 19 is mounted within a casing 4 located with its outer 20 by which the top of the. case 13 is entirely closed. This cover member carries a housing for valve mechanisms 21 and 22, as well as a mounting for a butterfly valve 23 which constitutes the throttle mechanism of the 'carbureter. Projecting downwardly from the main wall of the cover 20. is a continuous baflie wall 24 which substantially corresponds in sectional contour to the wall of the case 13 and which is spaced a distance therefrom to form a circulating passageway 25 between the upper portion of the easing wall and the baflie wall. The lower end of thisbaffle wall terminates on a line corresponding substantially to the top line of the float chamber and thus combines therewith to form an inlet passageway around the top of the float chamber and into the space thereabove, which space is partially occupied by the nozzle 19. A horizontally and outwardly extending flange 26 is formed entirely around the outer periphery of the baffle wall 24. This wall corresponds in contour to the inner surface of the case 13 and is spaced a short distance therefrom to form an air passageway through which all of the air entering the carbureter must ass. Flange 26 is ace in substantial alignment with the lower wall of air intake port 27 through which all the air passing to the carbureter is admitted.

The valve members 21 and 22 are adapted to admit air from the chamber surrounded by the baflle wall 2 i to a by-pass chamber which is in direct communication with the carbureter outlet port. These valve members are normally held upon their seats by expansion springs 29, which may be optionally tensioned by means of adjusting nuts 30. Due to this construction the acceleration of the engine will cause them to be elevated and insurethat a lean mixture will be produced by the carbureter. on high speeds and in an automatic manner.

In the form of the device shown in Fig. 4,

the carbureter construction has been eliminated and the dust separator has been formed to be used as an accessory to any suitablecarbureter; In this form a horizontal extending intakechamber 31 is provided above which a parallel outlet chamber 32 is mounted. These two chambers communicate with each other at given points along their lengths and thus insure that the air passing to the carbureter will not be restricted in its flow.

The-lower casing member 31 is provided with a series of openings in itslower wall and here shown. as four in number. These openings are normally closed by means of cylindrical casing members or cups 34, which may be of any desired length and which are provided as receptacles for the foreign materials eliminated from air passing into the carbureter. The separation of this material is effected within the present device by the within the casing 13 or the cups 34, where it affecting the air at the bottom of the case.

provision of a cylindrical tubular 35, which is carried by the housing and form continuations of communicating passageway between the upper and lower chambers 32 and 31. These stems extend downwardly through the openings in the lower case and are spaced with their side walls an equal distance from the side walls of the cups, in this manner combining therewith to form annular passage ways leading from the lower casing to the central opening through the stems.

It will be observed by comparison of the two structures here disclosed that the air cleaning features are the same, that is, both of them provide means for directing the air downwardly and thereafter causing it to change its direction of travel abruptly to an upwardly direction so that considerable inertia will be imparted to the solid particles of the air, which force will be assisted by gravity to carry the particles out of the range of influence of the air and into the dead air space at the bottom of the casings. Thus this solid matter will be deposited may accumulate in the operation of the device first described.

In the operation of the. first described device the suction action of the engine will draw air in through the manifold 11 and the carbureter initially through the air inlet port 27 at each pulsation. This incoming air will circulate around and within the chamber 25 and will pass downwardly around the horizontally extending flange 26 into. the lower portion Ofthe case 13. Due to,-the strength of the suction action the flow of air will take place around the marginal edge .of the baflie wall 24 without materially The air current will pass rapidly around'the bafile wall and into the space enclosed thereby to thereafter find its way throughthe nozzle 19. After reaching this point it will unite with liquid fuel and form an explosive gas passing outwardly to the engine as controlled by the throttle valve 23. It will be readilyobserved that the violent action of the air as it passes around the lower marginal edge of the bafile wall will cause the solid particles in suspension therein to be thrown off at a tangent to the current andin the present instance into the dead air space at the bottom of the casing; The effective area of the circulatory chambers and passage ways are soproportioned as to accommodate the required volume of air without restriction of its flow.

The second form of the invention operates in substantially the same manner as above described. In this instance, however, a sufficient volume of air may be handled for engines of large displacement, as there are a plurality of cleaning elements provided, acting simultaneously. The air will pass in stems will be the same as the action of the battle member 24 previously referred to and will abruptly change the direction of the flow of air to allow the solid particles to settle within the cup members 34. When a sufiicient quantity of foreign material has been deposited within the casing 13 or the cups 3%, the structures may be cleaned, in the former instance by removing the cover mem-- ber 20 and in the latter by removing the individual cu-ps 34. I

It will thus be seen that the devices here disclosed embody simple, thoroughly efiective meansfor eliminating solid particles from the air utilized in forming a gaseous fuel, by depositing the solids in a dead air space and without restricting the flow of the air, thereby allowing the carbureter to function properly as demanded by the enine.

While I have shown the form of my device as now known to be, it will be evident that various changes in the construction,

combination and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed;

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is Y 1. 'In a carburetor, a mixing chamber, an air cleaner comprising an inner casing surrounding the mixing chamber, an outer casing forming an annular inlet air passageway between the casing walls and means whereby the pulsations of a suction device will cause air to flothrough said passageway and the inner casing in a manner to effect the separation of solid matter from the air without restrictin its flow, said outer casing being extend far enough below the inner casing to deposit the separated solid matter away from the influence of the air flow.

2. In a carburetor, a. mixing chamber, an

air inlet for the mixing chamber comprising an inner casing open at its bottom, an outer casing extending below the first named cas ing and there around to form a sealed dead air collecting chamber, a top closure for said casing provided with a discharge opening and an air' passageway between said inner and outer casings, whereby air will be al-- lowed to flow from the surrounding atmosphere through the passageway and to the discharge opening in a manner to separate the solid particles from said flowing air and to deposit them within said dead air chamher.

3. In a carburetor, a mixing chamber, an air inlet for the mixing chamber comprising an inner casing open at the bottom, a second outer casing extending below the first named casing and forming a sealed dead air collecting chamber, a top closure for said casings provided with a discharge opening, an air circulating passageway between said casings and opened to the outside air beneath and adjacent said top closure and dis charging within said outer casing near the bottom of the first named casing and-there around, for causing the current of admitted air to circulate above the dead air collecting chamber.

4. In a carburetor, amixing chamber for fuel and air, an inner casing surrounding the same and extending below, an outer casing surrounding the inner casing, said outer casing being provided with air inlet passageways to cause the air admitted to the mixing chamber to pass downwardly between the inner and outer casings, and a dead air collecting chamber disposed below said inner and outer casings to receive the solidparticles separated from the air by the passage of the latter around the lower end of the inner casing.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribin witnesses.

ELMER E, WIOKERSHAM.

Witnesses:

DAVID B. LY'MA C. L. NEUMILLER. 

